Apparatus for relieving basements from external hydrostatic pressure



Feb. 21, 1967 O s, B K E 3,304,672

APPARATUS FOR RELIEVING BASEMENTS FROM EXTERNAL HYDROSTATIC PRESSUREFiled Jan. 6, 1964 INVENTOR. J 5/1 KKE BY A T TOFP/VE KS United StatesPatent ()fiice 3,304,672 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 3,364,672 APPARATUS FORRELEEVHNG BASEMENTS FRUM EXTERNAL HYDRQSTATMI PRESSURE Ole S. Baklre,Rapid City, S. Dale, assigrror to Aqua Drain, line, Rapid City, S. Dale,a corporation of South Dakota Filed Jan. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 335,723 4Claims. (Cl. 52-169) My invention relates to method and apparatus forrelieving basement walls and floors from pockets of hydrostatic pressurewhich build up exteriorly thereof due to accumulation of subsoilmoisture.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of method andapparatus which is extremely easy to practice and install and which ishighly effective in the elirnination of seepage of water through thewalls and under the floor due to pockets of hydrostatic pressure, andwhich may be maintained with a minimum of service.

A further object of my invention is the provision of apparatus of thetype above described which may be installed with a minimum of skill,which is relatively inexpensive to produce, and which is durable.

A further object of my invention is the provision of apparatus of thetype above described which may be formed so as to have an entirelypleasing appearance without in any way detracting from its utility.

The above and still further objects of my invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed specification, appended claims, and attacheddrawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like partsthroughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional view through a basement 'wall, lookingdownwardly, with the floor thereof shown in plan, some parts beingbroken away;

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged view in vertical section as seen from theline 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of a cornersection of the basement structure of FIG. 1, portions thereof shown insection.

Referring with greater particularity to the drawings, the numeralindicates a conventional cementitious wall of a basement, which wall issupported at its lower end by enlarged conventional footings 11.Immediately overlying the footings 11 and connecting the walls 14 is afloor 12, which may take any form, but which also is normally formedfrom pouring concrete. The subsoil, exteriorly of the wall 10, andlargely comprising backfill, is identified by X; whereas the pockets inwhich hydrostatic pressure is built up due to accumulation of moisturetherein, are identified by Y. The pressures built up within the pocketsY may cause moisture to enter the basement either through the lower endportions of the wall 1!}, or alternatively, to pass under the footings11 and thereafter upwardly through the floor 12, obviously taking thepath of least resistance,

To avoid the condition immediately above described, I form horizontallyextended openings 13 in the wall It at longitudinally spaced points andat substantially the level of the floor 12. As shown, the openings 13extend not only through the wall 1%, but also for some distance into thesubsoil X, as indicated at 14. The spacing between the apertures 13 andthe wall 10 may vary, in direct proportion to the severity of themoisture condition involved. Normally, however, a six-foot spacingtherebetween is found to be satisfactory.

Adapted to be supported by the basement floor and have sealingengagement with the lower end portion of the Wall 10 is a primaryconduit 15, which is molded from flexible plastic material to simulate abaseboard. Primary conduit 15 comprises an upstanding back wall element16, having longitudinally spaced apertures 17 therein which are spacedand positioned to align with the openings 13-14 in the wall 10 andsubsoil X. Primary conduit 15 also includes an imperforate bottom wall18 which rests upon the floor 12, and an upstanding front wall element19, the upper end portion of which inclines upwardly as at 20, and isformed to define a vertically disposed lip 21 which engages the rearwall element 16. Preferably, and as shown, the rear wall element 16 atits extreme upper edge is formed to define an enlarged depending lip 22which is yieldingly biased to overlie and engage lip 21.

Because of the flexible resilient nature of the material from which theprimary conduit 15 is formed, the lips 21, 22 define therebetween aself-closing continuous mouth, indicated generally at 23, which mouth,as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 2, may be opened sufficiently to enablethe operator to install branch conduits 24- through the alignedapertures 17 in the rear wall element 16 and the openings 13 in the wall11). Branch conduits 24 may be formed from any suitable material, andpreferably are formed at their inner ends to define diametricallyenlarged heads 25 which overlap the rear wall element 16 adjacent theapertures 17 therein and have sealing engagement therewith. Branchconduits '24 which, as shown, project completely through the walls 10,are provided at their outer ends with perforate screen-like inserts 26,which prevent any undesirable accumulation of sand and gravel within theprimary conduit 15.

As a final step in the practice of my novel method, with the apparatusabove described, it is but necessary to connect the primary conduit 15to a drain 27 below the level of the floor 12. As shown, this may beaccomplished through a drain tube 28. It might here be stated that ifand when it becomes necessary or desirable to remove any collectedresidue from the primary conduit 15, which may have collected thereindue to unusual conditions, it is but necessary to open the mouth 23.

My invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completelysatisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects; and while Ihave disclosed a preferred embodiment thereof, same may well be capableof modification without departure from the scope and spirit of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1, In basement construction which includes cementitious side walls whichare supported on subterranean footings and which are connected by asubterranean floor immediately above the level of said footings, theimprovements which comprise:

(a) a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures formed in at leastone of said side walls each of which extends through said side wallgenerally at the level of said floor;

(b) a ubstantially horizontally disposed elongated primary fluid conduitformed from flexible resilient material and including (1) an upstandingrear wall element, having sealing engagement with said one basement walland having longitudinally spaced apertures therein in coaxial alignmentwith said apertures formed in said side wall,

(2) an imperforate bottom wall, and

(3) a front wall element the upper end portion of which has abuttingrelationship with the upper end portion of said rear wall element anddefines therewith a self-closing continuous mouth;

(c) one end of said primary conduit communicating with a drain below thelevel of said floor;

(d) a plurality of branch conduits one each positioned within saidcoaxial apertures in said side wall and said rear wall element of saidprimary fluid conduit 3 4 with the inner end of each branch conduit incomto define a lip which overlies the upper edge of the other municationwith said primary conduit; and of said wall elements. (e) the outer endsof said branch conduits communieating with the subsoil exteriorly ofsaid side wall References flied y the Examiner through perforate endportions. 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2. The structure defined in claim 1 inwhich said mouth 1 811 009 6/1931 Hartman 52 169 is of a size when fullyopened to permit insertion of said I89I934 12/1932 joy et a1 5 X branchconduits into the apertures in the back wall ele- 2/1939 Hendersg 52 293ment thereof- 2,717,513 9/1955 Smart 52264 3. The structure defined inclalm 2 in which said 10 branch conduits are formed to definediametrically en- FOREIGN PATENTS larged head portions which overlapsaid rear wall element 2,400 1/ 1903 Great Britain. of said primaryconduit adjacent said apertures and hav- 905, 9/ 1962 Gre t Britain.

ing sealing engagement therewith. 15

4. The structure defined in claim 2 in which one of FRANK ABBOTT PflmaryExammw' said wall elements of said primary conduit is formed A. C.PERHAM, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN BASEMENT CONSTRUCTION WHICH INCLUDES CEMENTITIOUS SIDE WALLS WHICHARE SUPPORTED ON SUBTERRANEAN FOOTINGS AND WHICH ARE CONNECTED BY ASUBTERRANEAN FLOOR IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID FOOTINGS, THEIMPROVEMENTS WHICH COMPRISE: (A) A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACEDAPERTURE FORMED IN AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS EACH OF WHICH EXTENDSTHROUGH SAID SIDE WALL GENERALLY AT THE LEVEL OF SAID FLOOR; (B) ASUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED ELONGATED PRIMARY FLUID CONDUITFORMED FROM FLEXIBLE RESILIENT MATERIAL AND INCLUDING (1) AN UPSTANDINGREAR WALL ELEMENT, HAVING SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ONE BASEMENT WALLAND HAVING LONGITUDINALLY SPACED APERTURES THEREIN IN COAXIAL ALIGNMENTWITH SAID APERTURES FORMED IN SAID SIDE WALL, (2) AN IMPERFORATE BOTTOMWALL, AND (3) A FRONT WALL ELEMENT THE UPPER END PORTION OF WHICH HASABUTTING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UPPER END PORTION OF SAID REAR WALLELEMENT AND DEFINES THEREWITH A SELF-CLOSING CONTINUOUS MOUTH; (C) ONEEND OF SAID PRIMARY CONDUIT COMMUNICATING WITH A DRAIN BELOW THE LEVELOF SAID FLOOR; (D) A PLURALITY OF BRANCH CONDUITS ONE EACH POSITIONEDWITHIN SAID COAXIAL APERTURES IN SAID SIDE WALL AND SAID REAR WALLELEMENT OF SAID PRIMARY FLUID CONDUIT WITH THE INNER END OF EACH BRANCHCONDUIT IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID PRIMARY CONDUIT; AND (E) THE OUTERENDS OF SAID BRANCH CONDUITS COMMUNICATING WITH THE SUBSOIL EXTERIORLYOF SAID SIDE WALL THROUGH PERFORATE END PORTIONS.